|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Duration: 14:16
The Calder Quartet (Benjamin Jacobson and Andrew Bulbrook,
violins; Jonathan Moerschel, viola; Eric Byers, cello)
Commissioned by the Calder Quartet, with generous support from the
Carlsbad Music Festival, the La Jolla Music Society, the Harry and Alice
Eiler Foundation, and a Creative Connections Award from Meet the Composer.
________________________________________________________
(program notes written in 2005)
For some time, my work has been concerned with rhythmic interactions between layers of sound. When writing grip, I decided to focus on rhythmic states of individual sound layers. I classified all sounds in four broad categories: continuous, periodic, gestural, and random. A single sustained pitch – though it may vary in timbre or dynamics – is considered “continuous”. A rhythm with a regular pulse or subdivision is defined as “periodic”. A layer of sound that avoids any regular pulse but expresses a deliberate intent (it may speed up or slow down, for example) is called “gestural”. Finally, a rhythm that sounds completely chaotic is classified as “random”. Gray areas exist between these categories and provide material to explore in grip. Of couse, other parameters of composition are tied to rhythm, but I suspect such connections extend beyond the scope of these program notes or the patience of its readers.
In more abstract terms, grip is about degrees of control and group dynamics. While the first two rhythmic states (continuous and periodic) tend to produce music that is fairly straightforward in terms of rhythm and ensemble, the last two states (gestural and random) open up many more possibilities. Performers are left to fend for themselves, balancing an autonomy that may border on self-indulgence with a broader responsibility to the whole ensemble. In grip, processes become windows into our perceptions and tendencies.
 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||